was it obama's first debate? just a bad night, or was it a rope-a-dope, meaning he said i'd rather take the punches today, i'll still get a 14-10 vote out of that committee, but if i were to attack back, it's almost like ted kennedy in the old days when he was attacked by an opponent. he decided if i attack back, i'm in the mess with them. if i don't attack back, i'll be okay. >> i think it was a mistake. it was like obama's first debate. it's like let's not try to lose this thing. i don't think that works in sports. i don't think it works in politics. >> prevent defense wasn't the answer here. >> that's right. hagel has a good case for why he believes -- for goodness sake, the last ten years of american foreign policy, these disastrous wars reaffirm hagel's basic instincts about the danger of taking america into war casually. he should have made that case. that's why obama chose him. >> do you think he has an articulation problem? is this endemic? he's going to have to stick up to a lot of people in the world, f